Justin Bieber headed to final frontier

Justin Bieber is the latest celebrity to book a flight into space on Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic commercial space flights. Like Captain Kirk and Spock, Justin Bieber might be headed to space, the final frontier, as early as next year.

That’s right, Canadian pop star Justin Bieber, 19, has signed up to go into space with Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic. He won’t be going alone, either, but the person he’s going with isn’t one of his latest flings with some hot singing sensation or actress.

According to British entrepreneur Branson in an announcement on Twitter on Wednesday, Bieber and his manager, Scooter Braun, were going to be the latest of the many “future astronauts” Branson has booked. Branson added, “Congrats, see you up there!”

Bieber then got a brilliant, or a brilliantly spacey idea, and he tweeted in response — that’s right, you guessed it — “let’s shoot a music video in SPACE!!”

On Thursday, Branson tweeted back, “Music video in space? Now that’s what I call music!”

Scooter Braun tweeted simply, “I’m going to space, momma!!”

Among the other famous high profile celebrities that have already booked their flights into space on Virgin Galactic commercial space flights far in advance are physicist Stephen Hawking as well as actors Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

One guest at a charity auction called AmFAR Cinema Against AIDS that was held during the Cannes film festival last month reportedly paid $1.2 million to purchase a seat next to actor Leonardo DiCaprio on Branson’s Virgin Galactic commercial space flights.

Last year, the 500th person to sign up was “Two and a Half Men” actor Ashton Kutcher. Currently, approximately 600 people have signed up for the voyage into the final frontier.

What do you get for the $250,000 it will set you back to purchase a seat on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo, a six-passenger, two-pilot spaceship?

The spaceship will take passengers to an altitude of about 68 miles, giving them a once-in-a-lifetime experience. For that princely sum of pocket change, you will get a few minutes’ worth of bliss when you experience zero gravity and glimpse Earth from space.

Do you have any safety concerns about Justin’s health, or that he might not make it back from space?

Don’t worry, Justin Bieber fans!

In preparation for its first space trip with Branson and his family which is scheduled for the end of this year, the SpaceShipTwo rocket is currently undergoing vigorous tests.

Virgin Galactic is a division of Branson’s Virgin Group.

Eight and a half years ago, Branson founded Virgin Galactic. He had planned to begin commercial flights in 2007.

On April 29, in the skies above California’s Mojave Desert, SpaceShipTwo made its first powered test flight and broke the sound barrier with it for the first time.

Branson said he hopes to begin carrying passengers on his spaceships by the end of the year.

Who will be the next celebrity to join Justin Bieber as he’s headed to the final frontier of space?